Preparing to leave
Before you go, at the airport and inflight
With your research, planning and booking all organised, here are some important points to check before departure.
Do you have a valid passport? An Australian passport needs to be valid for 6 months after your return date.
Make copies or take photos of your passport, credit cards, drivers licence, details of travel insurance, etc. Leave one copy with a reliable person at home and keep another copy with you but separate from the originals.
At this point, a visa is not required to travel from Australia to France for a stay of up to 90 days and, for any stay exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay visa.
https://france.embassy.gov.au/pari/Australians-in-France.html
If you are planning to drive in France, you will need to visit your local motoring association (NRMA, RACV or similar) and purchase an International Driving Permit, which is used in conjunction with your Australian Drivers Licence. Ensure that you have both with you at all times when you are driving and familiarise yourself with the driving laws in France.
If you are an Australian, I strongly suggest that you register your trip with DFAT. https://www.smartraveller.gov.au
We make a packing list to ensure that nothing is forgotten. Of more use though, is our countdown calendar. It details a timeframe for what is needed to be done domestically prior to departure.
If you are leaving your house or apartment, you should ask someone to keep an eye on it for you. Hopefully, they would be kind enough to collect your mail, water the plants and tend to your pet, if you have one. We have used a boarding kennel in the past and our dog was seriously overjoyed each time we took her there.
When preparing your luggage, use an identification tag and coloured ribbon so it’s easy to spot your luggage on the carousel at the airport.
Choose comfortable travel clothes (see further information below).
Complete online flight check-in 24-48 hours before departure.
Get plenty of rest before you depart.
Leave plenty of time to travel to the airport without stress.
Arrive at the airport in plenty of time to check in and label your luggage. Clear customs then you can ‘kick back’ and relax until boarding. Duty free shopping, a snack, a drink, keep moving if you can because you are going to be sitting for a very long time in the plane.
Once onboard the plane, prepare for your flight by placing the items that you may require in the pocket on the back of the seat in front of you. Preferably keep a clear space under the seat so that you have plenty of space for your feet.
During the flight, drink plenty of water, keep moving your arms and legs, and get up regularly to stretch. Don’t be afraid to ask for extra food and drink to be brought to your seat or use your exercise time as an opportunity to walk to the galley. Try to sleep whenever you can so that you can arrive as fresh as possible. Airlines have become quite good at manipulating the day length during the flight to minimise jet lag.
I always try to brush my teeth and hair at the end of the flight so that I feel somewhat refreshed. I have seen plenty of people who completely change clothing before they disembark from a long-haul flight. I have never felt the need, myself.
Passports … tick. International Drivers Permits … tick. Copies of important documents … tick.
Let’s talk about money
We purchase some cash (Euros), before we leave, to begin the trip and split this between us. We each carry both a Visa and MasterCard to give us the most flexibility. We also take a debit card so that we will only withdraw cash from our own funds. This is because our credit card is linked to our savings account but we have found, from experience, that using our credit card and choosing the savings option resulted in a cash advance from our credit card. This is not a great option as the fees on a cash advance start immediately.
We register our travel plans with our bank before leaving. We are able do this online but you may have to visit your bank in person. We can advise the bank of our travel dates and destinations - even a quick transit is worth noting. If you don’t do this, you risk your bank rightfully freezing your account when they see international usage of your cards, which they may assume is fraudulent. Ask your bank, or check their website, to find out if they have an affiliation with any French banks as you may save some money on one of the withdrawal fees. There are usually two fees for every transaction when overseas.
The owners of the lovely accommodation that you choose may ask you to pay in cash. Check the booking details so that you are prepared.
Keep some cash for when you really need it. As I mentioned in an earlier post on booking, B&B owners often want payment in cash. When you receive change from any purchases, keep small coins for toilets, that quick coffee where you want to leave the money on the café table or shopping at markets.
Cash is really handy for shopping at the markets
We have never used a Cash Passport card with, as we view it, good reason. Depositing money onto this card from a credit card will incur a large amount of interest ahead of time. If from a savings account, then interest accrued in the savings account will be reduced. Paying by credit card overseas allows the greatest amount of convenience and least amount of activity. For us, this is the most important advantage. Whilst there is a conversion fee applied to credit card purchases, there is also a withdrawal fee applied to the use of Cash Passport card. I say to leave your money where it is until you spend it.
Ensure that you have a microchip in your credit card. In the past, there were some situations where we were unable to use our card because it had no microchip. One was the Metro in Paris.
ATMS are readily available in cities and large towns. For ease of use, you can usually choose your own language. I strongly recommend taking a receipt for each transaction so that you have a record.
Banks usually charge a fee for cash withdrawals. Foreign currency exchange agents may not charge a fee but the exchange rate used may not be as good as with a bank.
You will have to pay fees regardless of which method you choose to access your funds. There is a security risk if you take a lot of cash and you pay a fee when you purchase it initially. If you buy a Cash Passport card and load it with the local currency, for example Euros, then you pay an initial currency conversion fee. If you use a credit card, you will be charged a currency conversion fee on every single purchase. If you withdraw cash from your bank account, you will be charged a currency conversion fee. The bottom line is that there will be costs to factor into your holiday. These costs unavoidable and, realistically, minimal so my view is that convenience is the most important consideration.
Packing our bikes might look complex but Chris is an expert
My bike box ready for departure
What should I pack?
I will say that I am better at packing than I used to be. We previously used backpacks for two overseas trips. We were very frugal, taking only three of most clothing items with the theory of wearing one, one spare and one to wash. This may work for ‘real’ backpacking but not when on a ‘normal’ holiday! We are back to using suitcases again for the packing potential and convenience.
Pack as little as possible. It is always tempting to take too much. It will depend, however, on the type of holiday that you are planning. When and where can you wash clothes is a definite consideration. In what type of activities will you engage and what type of clothes do you need? What is the weather going to be like? Summer weather in Europe is varied. In one trip, we were swimming in the Mediterranean Sea then, later, we were on the top of Mont Blanc. It was a summer’s day but, at over 4000 metres altitude, it was ‘jacket and beanie’ weather. This meant that we needed to pack for all occasions.
Remember to pack some warm clothes if you plan to visit mountainous areas. Even in a French summer, weather conditions change quickly and vary from region to region.
These days, we tend to think about what we will be doing and what clothes would be appropriate. Layers work well. Also, basic colours that go together in different combinations is a good idea. Perhaps a scarf or some jewellery to change the look. When packing, we lay our clothes on the bed to see if we have chosen compatible styles; for example, for dining or entertainment, as well as helping each other cull unnecessary items. Whilst you can feel comfortable in Paris wearing casual clothes, you will not blend with the local population as easily as when wearing something a bit more stylish. You will definitely feel more comfortable when dressing like the locals. It’s a different matter in the countryside.
Be prepared for all sorts of weather. Do not forget a lightweight wind/rain jacket, a folding umbrella, a hat and sunscreen. Toiletries are a must regardless of where you are staying. Obviously, they can be purchased in France but it helps to have an initial set. Most hotels will have a hairdryer but it is a good item to pack, to help dry wet clothing, in case one is not available. A pair of walking shoes is necessary if you are planning to randonnée in the countryside. If you walk in the countryside then please clean your shoes thoroughly before you return to Australia so that you do not have to have your shoes cleaned at customs and delay your thoroughfare. Quarantine is of the utmost importance!
Packing is not just about clothing. You need to leave space for the extra items. It’s so important to pack travel adaptors and we always take a double adaptor as we are often charging more than one battery or phone at a time. If you wish to take a camera then extra storage/backup for your images is important. Cloud storage is also an option. Purchasing storage devices, when overseas, can be costly and time-consuming.
Don’t forget your camera and accessories. Most importantly, organise reliable backup for your photos.
If we are going to be driving around, we purchase larger versions of toiletries and other necessities once we have collected our rental car. We also purchase clothes washing liquid (although most Laundromats do sell this) and other items like icepacks, paper plates, plastic cups and cutlery for impromptu picnics. We always have water and snacks in the car to make the driving more bearable. We bring a soft foldable esky, plastic ziplock bags in various sizes (useful for all sorts of things), a bottle opener/corkscrew (the majority of French wine is still corked), a knife for cheese and a pegless washing line. Don’t assume that you will easily find some of these items in France.
Navigating your way around France can be as easy as using your smart phone but a GPS in your rental car is always a reliable option.
Lightweight shopping bags; for example, Envirosax, are strong and can be washed if anything is spilt in them. Shops will charge for plastic bags. In French supermarkets, you will need to pack your own groceries and you quite often have to weigh and price-label your fruit and vegetables before you arrive at the checkout.
Some other items that we carry are a small travel towel, locks for luggage and a small pair of binoculars. If you happen to be staying in a dormitory, travel with a lockable wire cover for your backpack and take all valuables with you whenever you leave the backpack at the dormitory.
It might be obvious, but do not accidentally pack any sharp items, aerosols or large amounts of liquids in your cabin luggage. Lithium batteries should be taken in your cabin luggage.
If you are an avid reader, a Kindle, iPad or similar is possibly a more convenient option than taking multiple books. You can download books onto your device before you leave. More recently, I have switched to a Kindle App, which is used on either iPad or iPhone.
Make sure that you leave some room in your suitcase for those extras that you will buy on your trip, whether that be gifts for family or friends or a new outfit that you found on an irresistible sale.
We suggest placing toiletry, and other, liquids in individual ziplock bags to protect your other belongings against leakage during the variable pressure regime in the aircraft.
A selection of my French-inspired library. I love books but, when I travel, I prefer to take my Kindle or iPad loaded with a range of fiction and non-fiction books; including a French cookbook, guidebooks and language resources.
Last, but not least, is your smart phone. It is very useful for navigation (however the car GPS is still a very good idea), communication, tour guidance (downloadable tours), language interpretation, library storage, music, its torch function and even as a phone! Gone are the days of carting around maps, city guides and books to read. Embrace technology. Find a good deal with your provider; for example, $5 per day global roaming access to your Australian plan and you are ‘sorted’. The cost should be minimal unless you wish to download movies, etc.
Gone are the days of using a large paper map
What to wear on the plane trip
Keep it simple and comfortable. Forget shoes with laces or potential metal in the sole/heel. Forget the belt and any other clothing with metal. Learn from my mistake! Having to remove multiple items of clothing at security is no fun at all. It is important to keep in mind that feet and legs can swell during periods of immobility, so choose your shoes carefully and remember to move around and do some inflight exercises. Aeroplanes are usually quite cool so it’s worthwhile taking an extra layer of clothing. Also, remember that you are arriving into a different season. Leaving ‘all rugged up’ for winter in Sydney is possibly inconvenient when transiting in south-east Asia or the middle-east or when arriving in the French Riviera in summer. Some people like to pack a change of clothes in their hand luggage for late inflight use or as a safety net in the rare event of lost luggage.
Health Matters
The most important rule is to always have travel insurance. It is a small price to pay for the security. For us our travel insurance is complimentary with the use of our credit card for travel purchases. Its conditions are even better than that of our previously favoured travel insurance broker.
Carry tissues and hand sanitiser with you. Although most overseas toilets are serviced regularly, it is good to be prepared in case they are not. It is good practice to clean your hands regularly so that your travel plans are not thwarted. I found out the hard way on a coach trip!
Stay hydrated, especially when it is hot. Sunscreen and a hat are a must. Heatstroke can ruin your day.
Take care when ordering food. Freshly prepared is better than something that has been sitting there for hours.
If you are travelling for a long period of time and you have private health insurance in Australia, ask whether you are eligible to suspend your account and payments during the period that you are travelling. We did this in 2009 and saved 3½ months of membership fee. Of course, we had travel insurance to cover us.
If you suffer from any allergies or have any special food requirements, take a prepared translation of your issue and requirements that you can show if you are asking what about the menu.
Medications and Prescriptions
We take some general antibiotics with us because using these is easier than finding a doctor in a difficult situation. Discuss this option with your GP before leaving.
If you need prescription medication, ensure that you have enough to take with you. If you need a lot of medication, consider taking a letter from your GP with you to show if queried at customs.
Always keep your medication in the original packet and in your hand luggage. Even simple medications, like paracetamol and ibuprofen, are not available in French supermarkets and are only found at the chemist.
We always take Imodium, Degas, paracetamol, ibuprofen and band aids.
If you wear prescription glasses, take a copy of your prescription.
Emergencies
You can use the global roaming function on your mobile phone or buy a local SIM card.
Label an emergency contact phone number with ICE (In Case of Emergency) on the back of, or inside, your phone case. Use ICE ONE, ICE TWO, etc if you have additional contacts.
You can also record your blood type and your allergies with the ICE information.
When you arrive at your accommodation, ask for the emergency phone numbers of the local area. Most hotels will have this information in the room notes.
Travelling to and from the airport
Our holiday commences the moment we step into our private transfer. We live quite a distance from Sydney International Airport and, with the amount of luggage that we have taken on our most recent trips, we request a private van. This comes at a higher cost but it is a door-to-door service and we know there will be plenty of space for both ourselves and our luggage. Once we are ‘strapped in’ and being driven away from the house, we can then sit back and relax until we arrive at the airport for check-in. In Sydney, there is a train service that we have also used when we had less luggage. A taxi or Uber transfer are options if you live closer to the airport. Allow what you perceive to be ample time and then add more to avoid any stress. Once we have checked in our luggage, it is time to enjoy some food and drink, perhaps browse the shops and have a decent walk around the terminal until it’s time to go through airport security. At this point, you should note your departure gate and in which direction it is located.
Boarding your flight
When it is time to board the plane, be alert and ready to go as soon as your seating section is called. It is ‘first in, best dressed’ to secure the overhead locker space closest to your seat. If this locker is already full when you arrive at your seat then your bags might need to be stowed several rows away. This is not convenient for retrieving items during the flight nor when you are trying to alight the aeroplane quickly.
Bon voyage!
